I gasp as soon as I exit the bathroom.
"Oh
The sound finds its way from my lips as I see him.
He is right there.
Shirtless
My eyes lock on his chest, muscular and chiseled, wet from his journey as if he comes from another part of the world. My mind struggles for an instant to imprint the picture before my eyes.
"You… you are back?" I ask, my voice shaking.
"Oh, yeah," he says bluntly, his eyes roving over me without embarrassment, "you'll just do anything if you get paid, right?"
"The words hit me hard."
"Before I could defend myself, his hand rises, grasping my face firmly, holding my chin down so I have no choice but to look at him."
"Fine," he says in a low and menacing voice. "I will give you what you want."
"What are you doing?" I shout in a panic.
He suddenly lifts me up from the ground.
"Let go!" I shout, pounding my fists on his chest as he carries me towards the bed.
He throws me down and before I can move, he's holding me to the mattress.
My heart is beating furiously in my chest, and fear is coursing through my veins like wildfire.
"It's all a misunderstanding," I quickly answer, my voice shaking.
"Misunderstanding?" he says, his voice edged with sarcasm.
"Yes!" I reply readily enough. "It is."
"Your father sold you for twenty million dollars," he says emotionlessly. "And this is what you wear. You believe this is a misunderstanding?"
Tears prick at the corners of my eyes
"You… you do not know anything," I say, my voice shaking. "He left me. Then he had another daughter. He does not care about me."
For the first time, something happens.
His hold eases slightly.
He is looking at my facial expression intently, as if he is trying to find the truth in my eyes. But then he kisses me abruptly.
I gasp in shock.
The kiss is fleeting but so powerful that it clouds my thoughts. He pulls back quickly, his eyes black as he looks at me.
Weird.
For an instant, he changes expression.
She looks just like that girl from that night.
"I can almost hear the thoughts running through his mind. The hesitation. The denial."
quotation marks
It cannot be her.
She would do anything for money. How can she compare to that girl from that night?
He suddenly gets up from the chair as if in anger against himself.
"Sign it," he insists, gesturing with a finger at a document lying on the table.
I sit up very slowly. My heart is racing.
The marriage contract.
"Only my grandmother holds this marriage together," he says icily. "You will no longer be a part of the Blackwood family."
I take the papers in my shaking hands and begin to read them.
In this marriage, you are under no circumstances going to do anything harmful to the Blackwood family.
Following the divorce, you shall receive a settlement.
"Anything wrong?" he asks impatiently.
"Would you disagree?"
He suddenly seizes my jaw again, jerking my face up. "You presume to make amends?"
"Just stay away from each other, okay?" I say softly. "That's all."
"Is that it?" he asks.
"That is it," I reply firmly.
"I sign the contract," my hands shaking in front of him to prove that I'm telling the truth."
"What about my request?" I ask quietly.
"I would never touch a materialistic woman such as you," he declares callously.
He turns and exits the room.
The door closes behind him with a loud thud.
Silence fills the room.
Just as he leaves, my phone rings. I look at the screen, and my heart clenches.
Rose.
"Lina, I heard you got married," she says.
"Why do you care?" I ask abruptly.
"I heard that he has a bad temper," she continues, "and he is also charming."
I sneer bitterly.
"I am sorry," she says quickly. "I did not know Mum pushed you into this. If I had known, I would not have let this happen."
"Save it, Rose," I spit. "I told you I have no interest in you or the family."
"I just worry about you," she says quietly.
I hang up without another word.
The End
I sit there, looking at my phone.
First, I am sold to the Blackwood family.
Now, they are planning something else.
I get up very slowly and make my way towards the sitting room, my head filled with thoughts.
"Mrs. Lina," says the maid with a smile, "Mrs. Blackwood would like you to go to the charity banquet in her stead. Please choose a dress for the charity banquet."
"I…" I attempt to speak.
"Mrs Lina, you have to go," the maid presses on. "Mrs Blackwood's choices are not open to discussion."
I do not know what to say.
I don't have any choice.
I move towards the wardrobe to choose a dress; my heart starts sinking. One thing is constantly being repeated in my mind.
"Oh God, is there anyone to save me?"
"The banquet hall is dazzling."
The moment I enter, every eye in the room is on me. My dress hugs my curves beautifully as the lights dance on the fabric.
"Wow," a man says, moving in closer. "What a beautiful woman."
"I've never seen such beauty before," he says.
"Excuse me, miss,' he says politely. "Would you honor me with a dance?"
His name is Josh.
The successor of Michael's Group.
He exudes power, confidence, and importance.
I hesitate.
Will I be in trouble if I say no?
"Before I can answer," a voice rings out through the air.
"No
I turn.
"No, she can't," says Adrian, his tone choked with envy and fury. "She is with me."